9 Days Old:
9 Weeks Old:
9 Months Old:
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Car-isma
We celebrated Christmas in Cleveland recently. To me, Christmas in Cleveland means family, traditions, good Italian eating, and a white Christmas. This year, Christmas in Cleveland also meant a 13-14 hour drive each way. Yikes!! While Avery has made numerous trips to 4 different states in his 9 months of existence (OH, KY, TN, NC...seven 11+ hour road trips in total...), this was the first time he has had to travel with...THE PUPPIES!!!! Our trip was delayed twice; once for the "Blizzard of '09" in the Virginias and once for Phil's back that required an epidural (Phil always needs an epidural at inopportune times...like 2 days before Avery was born, haha). Once we FINALLY got on the road, our "children" could not have been more perfect. The dogs were in the far back of the car and slept in their beds the entire way. I sat in the backseat with Avery and entertained him (I initially tried the front seat, but a mobile 9 month old needs constant distraction from the fact that he is tethered down to a chair for long periods of time). And Phil was a champ and drove the whole way. Thank you to my husband for safely transporting the entire Jean Family to Christmas in Cleveland. :)
The trip started off at 6:30am with an immediate nap. Always a good sign.
Good spirits, post-nap. Still a good sign.
Forms of entertainment: reading about Santa Claus, playing with toys, checking his e-mail on Daddy's I-Phone, and "talking" to Daddy.
The trip started off at 6:30am with an immediate nap. Always a good sign.
Good spirits, post-nap. Still a good sign.
Forms of entertainment: reading about Santa Claus, playing with toys, checking his e-mail on Daddy's I-Phone, and "talking" to Daddy.
The trip was bookended with naps by all (except Daddy).
Monday, December 21, 2009
Walker, Carolina Ranger
Avery has started enjoying his hand-me-down "walker" from Couisn Emeri. The walker lets him go exploring big-boy style without having to crawl everywhere (he gets rug burn too easily).
Apparently, it is easy to fall with this contraption....maybe I should put the camera down and supervise a little better??
What was the first place he visited with his newfound mobility???? The one place that I constantly pull him away from all day long...Willie's cage. I think he was trying to free his buddy from doggy prison.
Apparently, it is easy to fall with this contraption....maybe I should put the camera down and supervise a little better??
What was the first place he visited with his newfound mobility???? The one place that I constantly pull him away from all day long...Willie's cage. I think he was trying to free his buddy from doggy prison.
Teletubby
Here is my temporary solution for taking daytime showers: TV!!! The only television we own is in our bedroom and is turned on approximately once a month to watch movies on (no cable, either...we are losers). I got the bright idea to put my child in front of the television so it could "babysit" him while I took a shower. Totally worked. Maybe too well...check out his face.... (Shrek is "educational", right???)
Friday, December 18, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Bathroom Mischief
For every day, week and month that your baby ages, the fun and joy you experience multiplies exponentially. However, with that growing joy comes the loss of something very important to you: your independence.
Sure, you might say, your independence is gone the minute your water breaks. I disagree. I feel that you can choose to be stuck at home with your baby all day and sitting at home on Friday nights and that's really okay; it is whatever you are comfortable with. However, I personally chose to take Avery out with me...shopping, dinners, nights out with friends (okay, "nights out" for us mean just going out to dinner or playing Euchre...nothing too wild and crazy!!). I figure that if it's expected that you take your 3 day old baby to the pediatrician's office and then to Babies R Us afterwards, it's okay for them to accompany you to dinner or the mall....barring, of course, that strangers keep their grubby hands off your child and it's not swine flu season, haha. When Avery was born, I chose to keep my independence...in a modified way.
Buuuutttt...fast forward to 8 months after Avery's birth and I have said bye-bye to that cherished independence! All of a sudden, errands go out the window because it's a big deal if Avery misses his afternoon nap at home in his crib. Also, fewer tasks get completed at home because naptime is shorter due to Avery's newfound mobility; he likes to spend his naps standing up in his crib and chewing on railings. And forget doing any cleaning or housework during the daylight hours (ha, like I tried real hard to do that when he was younger!)...my time is spent with 100% of my attention on Avery, as he likes to chase after dogs, climb stairs (gates only seem to attract his attention), play with dust bunnies (didn't you read my comment about doing housework???), or pull up on Willie's cage (an act that makes Willie flip out, whether he is currently occupying it or not).
All of the above items can be adapted with a little bit of babyproofing and some creativity. One conundrum that remains, however, is one of the most important tasks of the day....toot-too-da-loot (that's a trumpet blare in case you were wondering...too much Dr. Suess)...MY SHOWER. When Avery was younger, I used to put him in a glider in the bathroom while I bathed and prepared for the day. Between toys and music, his attention stayed occupied. These days, there is no toy fun enough to distract him nor seatbelt strong enough to contain my little monkey. As much as I try to shower during his morning nap, there are just certain situations when that doesn't work out. Bye-bye independence; hello evening showers!!
Sure, you might say, your independence is gone the minute your water breaks. I disagree. I feel that you can choose to be stuck at home with your baby all day and sitting at home on Friday nights and that's really okay; it is whatever you are comfortable with. However, I personally chose to take Avery out with me...shopping, dinners, nights out with friends (okay, "nights out" for us mean just going out to dinner or playing Euchre...nothing too wild and crazy!!). I figure that if it's expected that you take your 3 day old baby to the pediatrician's office and then to Babies R Us afterwards, it's okay for them to accompany you to dinner or the mall....barring, of course, that strangers keep their grubby hands off your child and it's not swine flu season, haha. When Avery was born, I chose to keep my independence...in a modified way.
Buuuutttt...fast forward to 8 months after Avery's birth and I have said bye-bye to that cherished independence! All of a sudden, errands go out the window because it's a big deal if Avery misses his afternoon nap at home in his crib. Also, fewer tasks get completed at home because naptime is shorter due to Avery's newfound mobility; he likes to spend his naps standing up in his crib and chewing on railings. And forget doing any cleaning or housework during the daylight hours (ha, like I tried real hard to do that when he was younger!)...my time is spent with 100% of my attention on Avery, as he likes to chase after dogs, climb stairs (gates only seem to attract his attention), play with dust bunnies (didn't you read my comment about doing housework???), or pull up on Willie's cage (an act that makes Willie flip out, whether he is currently occupying it or not).
All of the above items can be adapted with a little bit of babyproofing and some creativity. One conundrum that remains, however, is one of the most important tasks of the day....toot-too-da-loot (that's a trumpet blare in case you were wondering...too much Dr. Suess)...MY SHOWER. When Avery was younger, I used to put him in a glider in the bathroom while I bathed and prepared for the day. Between toys and music, his attention stayed occupied. These days, there is no toy fun enough to distract him nor seatbelt strong enough to contain my little monkey. As much as I try to shower during his morning nap, there are just certain situations when that doesn't work out. Bye-bye independence; hello evening showers!!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Musings...by Avery D. Jean
Here are some pics from last week and Avery's thought-bubbles for each one...
"How come Daddy is always hogging this thing??? It's MY turn already!!"
"Grrrrr....if only...I could pry....his fingers....off of these strings....."
"That's right, I play too!"
"Hey, how come I'm not in any of these wedding pictures??!!??"
"Mmmm...my finger tastes so good....
...you wanna try it, Haley??"
"Hey guys, gather round...there's an alligator out there!!"
"We'll see if they fall for it..."
"Haley is looking like she's not buying it"
(chuckle) "This white dog sure ain't the brightest...sike!!"
"They're only being good because Santa is coming!!"
"I guess Willie needs to try a little harder or else he's going to get coal in his stocking"
"mmmmm, this cracker sure is tasty...I've never heard of the brand 'Nikon' before"
"What a cool tail my horsey has...
...HEY-that's pretty yucky feeling!!!"
"I think I'm scarred for life...."
"I'm being good for Santa too!"
"Comin' to getcha!!"
"Hmmm...what was that saying about never looking a gift horse in the mouth??"
"This toy sure makes a handy stool to stand on...I get closer every day to bustin' out of this joint!!"
"How come Daddy is always hogging this thing??? It's MY turn already!!"
"Grrrrr....if only...I could pry....his fingers....off of these strings....."
"That's right, I play too!"
"Hey, how come I'm not in any of these wedding pictures??!!??"
"Mmmm...my finger tastes so good....
...you wanna try it, Haley??"
"Hey guys, gather round...there's an alligator out there!!"
"We'll see if they fall for it..."
"Haley is looking like she's not buying it"
(chuckle) "This white dog sure ain't the brightest...sike!!"
"They're only being good because Santa is coming!!"
"I guess Willie needs to try a little harder or else he's going to get coal in his stocking"
"mmmmm, this cracker sure is tasty...I've never heard of the brand 'Nikon' before"
"What a cool tail my horsey has...
...HEY-that's pretty yucky feeling!!!"
"I think I'm scarred for life...."
"I'm being good for Santa too!"
"Comin' to getcha!!"
"Hmmm...what was that saying about never looking a gift horse in the mouth??"
"This toy sure makes a handy stool to stand on...I get closer every day to bustin' out of this joint!!"
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